Under My Skin
by Its-Crash
Summary: Lisanna has just come back from Edolas but something's wrong with her magic. She can't use Animal Soul, anymore. Instead a most dangerous power slumbers within her. Like an Anima, she drains out the magic from others. In such a hazardous state, she can't return home to Fairy Tail. But Natsu is determined to find her, even if she could kill him.
1. Foreword

Foreword:

* * *

_I'm back and it hurts._  
_Although I used to walk this earth._  
_I lived and I died, then I lived again_  
_I met a new world, I have made new friends_

_Only to say goodbye once more_  
_to meet my family behind another door_  
_But how can I possibly explain_  
_that I plan to stay away_

_My brother, my sister, my love_  
_what I had done was more than enough_  
_you deserve a life without any pain_  
_because I can't guarantee that I'm still the same_

_Deep under my skin_  
_a monster reaches for my heart within_  
_I'm back and it hurts_  
_I can't walk this earth_


	2. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone and thank you for checking out this story! :D**

**I hope you enjoyed the Foreword. Here's the first chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 1

* * *

It was raining. Cold water trickled on my skin and soaked all my clothes. The sky above was a dark gray and I couldn't find a way to describe it. I felt different. But I guess two years in a land without magic can leave one with an emotion of emptiness when coming back to a land full of it. There was a pinch in my heart. I had said too many goodbyes to my sister and my brother. I know they are the counterparts of my real siblings. And yet, it doesn't lessen the pain to leave them behind.

I got up and brushed off a little mud from my dress. I needed to find them, tell them that I'm back. Mirajane, Elfman, I wonder how they would react upon seeing me. My legs started to carry me through the woods. I ran and ran until I saw Magnolia. Just outside of the city, another emotion overwhelmed me. It was the joy of finally seeing them again. And Natsu, my love, you have found me and brought me back. I couldn't wait to see him again. I couldn't wait to see his eyes, his smile. I couldn't wait to feel his warm arms around me. I ran and ran and completely neglected the numbness in my legs. The city was in near grasp. My heart was beating fast. Tears leaked out of my eyes. I was going to see them again, all of them.

In town my eyes examined everything. Most of it still looked the same. Nostalgia summoned more tears to my eyes. Home… this was home. And in the distance, I perceived the building that was the guild Fairy Tail. I sped up my pace to reach it. My heart was bouncing inside my chest. So close. My moves were uncoordinated as I raced towards the great fortress. Before I arrived, a petite girl with blue hair walked out of the doors.

"Levy" I called out for her and sped up my pace to reach her. "Levy! It's me!"

The blue haired mage adjusted her gaze. Her eyes widened as soon as she noticed me. The surprise on her face was clearly visible. She slightly shook her head in disbelief. I was almost by her side when she raised her hands to her mouth. Her lips formed a gentle smile behind the hand when tears simultaneously escaped the corners of her green eyes.

"Lisanna?" she struggled to verbalize my name. "Is that really you?"

"It's me… I'm home" I said and wrapped my arms around her. I squeezed her really tight because I was too happy to see the beautiful girl I grew up with. She coughed a little and I chuckled at it. Perhaps my hug was a hint too ferocious.

I let go of her and she didn't stop. Her face was pale white, her stare empty.

"Levy… what's wrong?" I asked as a cold sensation of terror swept over me. "Levy" I yelled and shook her. Then, my blue haired friend collapsed to the ground and experienced a daunting seizure. Her body temperatures sunk to a deathly low. My mind couldn't fathom. She was healthy just a minute ago and then she was subsiding. It is so confusing.

"Help" I screamed. But no one was around and the noise of the rain hushed my efforts. "Help, please, she's dying!"

Particles of her magic were leaving the body. Something was sucking out her power, her life force. It resembled an Anima, a vortex to absorb mystical potential. I directed my gaze up to the sky, and there was no indication that her magic went to Edolas. I shook her harshly, urged her to stay with me. "Help" I shouted as loudly as I could.

Then I felt it inside. Something inside of me stirred. A headache dominated. Her magic, it was flowing into me. I immediately let go of her and inspected my arms. They were glowing in mysterious light. I was hurting her. I was the Anima. My eyes wandered to the dying girl on the ground. I had to get away from her. Someone take me away from her I thought to myself because I was unable to move on my own. The power was too numbing. I didn't want to hurt her and yet I was going nowhere. On and on, the magic transferred to me.

The doors of the guild opened and a blonde girl peeked out, Lucy. Right behind her, there stood Natsu. The shock in his eyes upon seeing me, pinned him to the spot. "Lisanna?" he hissed through his lips.

A vicious dart pricked my heart. All I wanted was to see him, hold him. But I mustn't. I took a step back and strenuously pulled myself away. I had to get away before I'd kill them all. I ran back the way I came and left town as quickly as possible. Finally resting against a tree, I struggled with breathing. I still inspected my hands. Why did I absorb her magic? What had happened to me? I had become an Anima and whenever I get too close to a mage, I will drain them of their power.

It aches, my entire body is trembling. In such a dangerous condition, I have to stay away from them. Mirajane, Elfman, Natsu, I will not get to see them because I might hurt them. And Levy, poor Levy, I hope that she survives it.

* * *

**Feel free to leave a review, follow or fave if you liked the story. That way I'll know whether I should keep going or scrap the idea. ;)**

**Coming up on Under my Skin: Natsu will go after her, but can he find her?**


	3. Chapter 2

**Yo, minna! Arigato for the support! :D**

**Here's a gift for everyone who followed, favorited and reviewed. A piece of tarte au chocolat (or whatever treat you'd like) and the next chapter:**

* * *

Chapter 2

* * *

After the incidence with Levy, I couldn't breathe. On the outskirts of Magnolia, my eyes analyzed my hands. Something just wasn't right with me. I could feel it inside. It was an idea that wouldn't seep into my brain. Although it had been two years, I should still be able to remember how to transform. I focused all my energy and pictured the form of a bird inside my head. It might be best to fly off. But my attempts to summon my Animal Soul didn't work at all. I could not even transform a single body part. I glanced over to where the city was majestically set up and a deep sadness overcame me. I wasn't supposed to die and come back to life. This was fate's way of showing me how I had escaped death. I factually didn't. All my insides churned. Darkness dwelled in my body and choked my soul.

Natsu… his eyes upon seeing me burned their way into my mind. I wanted to charge at him. I wanted to feel him. What had he been thinking when he realized that it was me? What had he been thinking when he saw Levy lying on the ground. What had I done? What had I become? So many questions that were to be left unanswered. I could only hope that Levy didn't die. I hoped that I didn't kill her. My heart broke. Like a porcelain doll, it shattered upon hitting the cold floor. I felt like I was an empty shell ever adopting more and more heartache within my fragmented body.

The rain didn't stop and it was getting cold in my soaking wet clothes. I decided to run to the place where Natsu and I used to hang out. I still remembered the days when he and I used to play husband and wife, or rather when I pretended that we were already married. It used to be a happy memory and now it only leaves an excruciating sting in my blood pumping organ. I couldn't ever return to Fairy Tail as long as I was a mobile Anima salivating over magic.

At our spot, my eyes were startled by the next unpleasant surprise. A little monument dedicated to me was built right in front of the small hut I had built when I was younger. I collapsed to my knees and cried. The pain was starting to overwhelm me. It was too much to handle. I was home and couldn't go home. Natsu had probably erected it for me. My love promised to. There was so much I wanted to do with him, a world I wanted to explore with him. But I must remain dead for them. I had to be gone in order to protect them.

In the shelter of the hut, I rested my head on a bed of hay. My teary eyes closed and I turned off the light of reality. Perhaps it was just a nightmare and I'd wake up knowing all will be alright.

But what if I woke up in Edolas? Would everything still be alright? Sleep didn't settle and I didn't calm down. So many thoughts rushed through my mind. They were choking me, I was choking on him. Natsu… Did he tell Mira and Elfman that I was back? Were they looking for me? I couldn't let them find me. And this place wasn't safe for me to take a break. The fire mage could show up anytime. It was recommendable to move.

I peeked out of the opening and the downpour was just a little drizzle. Slightly disoriented, I took off into the gentle rain. Without even looking where I was running, I simply knew that I had to increase the distance, as wide as possible. I needed to be far away from anyone I loved. It pained and yet I had to keep strong and run. My view was just a haze. And then I bumped into a person. We both crashed to the ground.

My eyes adjusted to identify the person. He coughed a little from the impact. I must have bumped right into his chest causing him to choke on his own spit. I blinked twice when I noticed the rose colored hair. It was spiky. When he lifted his head and opened his eyes, I knew it was too late. He knew who I was and I knew who he was.

It was him. It was Natsu. My pupils were dilated as I stared into his. Just a second of negligence and he could be dead. As fast as I could, I got back up to my own two feet and headed for the woods.

"Lisanna" his voice punched holes through me. I felt weak at my knees merely because I heard it. "Lisanna, wait! It's me, Natsu!" He called after me. I could hear his footsteps close on my trail. My childhood friend ran after me.

"Get away from me!" I yelled back. My heart shattered into pieces because all I truly wanted was for him to catch me and hold me tight. I truly wanted him to tell me everything was going to be alright. But as of then, together didn't feel right at all. We could be holding hands, but we'd still fall.

"Lisanna! Where are you running off to? Lisanna!" He shouted after me. His voice cracked. Probably because his vocal chords were strained from screaming. Nonetheless, a strong will characterized him. An echo of his voice kept howling my name. I simply picked up my pace to run faster while tears of solitude burned in my eyes.

* * *

**Coming up on Under my Skin: Can Lisanna outrun Natsu?**

**Feel free to leave a review to tell me what you thought of this chapter. I was so happy to see that so many liked it so far! :D Thank you so much**


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

* * *

Actually I didn't think that I'd be able to outrun him. He was Natsu Dragneel after all. But I had to try my hardest to get away from him. For his sake. I unpredictably turned and maneuvered my way around various trees and disappeared in the shelter of the dark forest. I couldn't hear him anymore. Yet, I maintained my pace until tremendous troubles with my stamina called for a break. Both of my legs hurt as if someone shot arrows through the muscles. My lungs felt empty because I couldn't gasp enough to make up for the lack. My throat was dry and itching. There was a stream of fresh water nearby and I drank the way one would after a dehydrating day in the desert.

I had absolutely no idea where I was. My feet had taken me far, very far. Resting against a cold rock by the water, tears started to leak out of my eyes again. As if all the water my body just received was rejected, the fluid escaped out of my eyes. I sobbed and whined like a stray dog. It was freezing and my dress was still wet. There were bleeding wounds on my legs and arms. Various vines with thorns had cut my skin. The physical pain slowly reached my brain. But it wasn't as overwhelming as the hurt under my skin. Going through the motions, I cleansed the superficial lacerations with a little water. At least I could rid myself of one source of hardship.

The half-moon shed a dim light through the tree crowns. I practically saw nothing. When a sound reached my hearing, I alertly turned to see what it was. It could be a small animal, it could be a wolf, it could be Natsu. I hastily rinsed my hands and intended to get away again. Maybe it would be best if I left the forest and find the nearest town, probably Onibus. Then I realized that I had no money to get around. Nonetheless, there was still the rustling sound which commanded me to move.

I vigilantly prowled between the trees to remain undetected. I didn't get too far, though. Out of nowhere something jumped me and forced me to the ground. With all my might, I attempted to fend it off. A venture that remained unsuccessful. A strong man pinned me to the ground.

"Hold still" his angelic voice fondled its way through my ears. "It's me, Natsu!"

I looked deep into my childhood friend's nostalgic eyes and melted away like a piece of butter in the blazing sun. The flow of tears was vigorous and I urged him to get off. "Don't touch me. Let go of me!" I screamed like a madwoman. "Get away from me. Get away from me, now!"

And next, my mind shut down. Any thoughts inside my head had gone away. I couldn't understand. I couldn't follow. I simply felt a tickling sensation with the wish to make it last forever. His lips on mine to hush me, to stop me from doing anything, stop me from thinking. They were warm and soft. They were heavenly. I longed to feel those as long as I could remember. Then he removed them and our eyes locked again.

"I have found you" he said and wiped the tears from my eyes. At the same time, tears of joy slipped out of his eyes. He moved in again to give me another peck. But I turned my head and repeated myself:

"Get away from me… please…" heartache returned and forced new tears to stream out.

"Don't tell me what to do!" He was a little agitated by my cold behavior. And yet, he complied with my request with one condition. "But don't run away!"

I couldn't promise that, though. I had to. It was for the best. Despite everything, I decided to stay with him for a while. If I ventured to flee again, he'd just follow. With determination, he'd catch up with me no matter what I tried. I had to be more strategic about it.

"Sorry about the kiss" he apologized for something he should not feel guilty about. He had done no wrong. I even liked it. "Are you, um, how should I put this…"

He was as sweet as ever. Cute and kind of silly, just the way I remembered him.

"Are you from Edolas?" Natsu asked. I thought about lying to him but I couldn't do that, could I?

"No, it's me. The real me, Natsu. You've found me" I said and earned myself a hearty hug. I pushed him away, though. "But I'm not the same, Natsu. I'm dangerous…"

"What do you mean?" he wanted to know.

"I'm an Anima. You need to get away from me. I don't know when and I don't know how, but eventually I'll suck out your magic" I explained the situation. "I don't want to hurt you the way I had accidently hurt Levy!"

"Is that why you ran away?" he formed another question. I nodded. Seriousness burned inside his glare. "Stupid! What were you thinking? We'd find a way to help you!"

With a hand on my shoulder, he started to cough. Similar to Levy, his face coloring changed. "Li…s..anna…" he stuttered.

* * *

**Thanks to treeofsakuras, BreadStarz, Claire-Starsword, casey10rok, Beautiful Rain Droplet, kwerli, music supremacy, BladeOfThePoet, IxiaLiliana for their reviews so far. It's so nice of you to take your time and leave your feedback. I really appreciate it and it keeps me motivated to continue writing.**

**Coming up on Under My Skin: Will Natsu make it?**


	5. Chapter 4

**La La La La La! Welcome back, Minna! Thank you so much for the reviews! They encourage me a lot! You guys are awesome :D**

**This chapter is written in Natsu POV. I hope you'll like it:**

* * *

Chapter 4

* * *

I woke up in the morning. Was it Monday? It's the day that I hate the most. Then I even felt nauseous as if I was travelling on some mean of transportation. But the moist and slightly rough bedding of the ground indicated that I lay in the woods. The serene chirp of the birds was further evidence. What was I doing? I had difficulties remembering how I even got there. Then, a familiar scent travelled through my nostrils and shifted my memory into gear.

"Lisanna" I called out into the empty forest. She was gone. I played with the thought that it might have been a dream. My childhood friend was dead. Of course I had seen her when I was at the guild in Edolas, but that was her counterpart. Everyone was different over there and the girl I met yesterday, she said that she was the real deal. I scratched the back of my head to reduce the headache that dominated my state. I pondered a little and came to the conclusion, that it was not a dream. It was her. I had found her… kind of. She disappeared again.

Sniffing around, I tried to follow her scent. But it didn't get me far away from where I woke a minute ago. She knew about my advanced olfactory sense. Lisanna must have covered herself with dirt, mud and leaves to cover up her own scent, her heavenly scent. It was no use to wander around in the woods. It might be more reasonable to check back with the others. They might know a way to track her down. I was not going to let her get away. She wasn't going to slip through my fingers. Not again.

"Yo, Lucy, wake up" I said right after I headed to my teammates place and climbed up to her window. She loved to leave it open for fresh air to come through. Slowly, she rose and rubbed her tired eyes.

"What time is it?" she asked with a slow and mild voice. "Natsu? Where have you been? Why are you so dirty?"

"How's Levy?" I asked ignoring all of her questions. She slowly gained complete consciousness and was kind of late for the reaction she displayed next. Like some hysteric chick, she screeched like fingernails scraping down a chalkboard. "Damn, Lucy. My ears, they're sensitive!"

"What are you doing on my window sill this early hour? Get away from there…" the last words infuriated me. Why did everyone want me to get away? Lisanna… what went through her mind? She must be so confused. She came back from the dead. Wait… was she a zombie? She looked too pretty to be a zombie and she definitely didn't smell like a walking corpse. She smelled like sweet scented lilies with a hint of vanilla. That was her smell, ever since she was little. I remembered clearly. It tricked a smile onto my face and Lucy was still too puzzled about my appearance at a most early hour.

I leaped into her apartment and brushed off the dirt. Dried mud crumbled on her floor and she scowled at me for that. "Is Levy going to make it?" I asked again because somehow she failed to answer or I failed to listen.

"It's critical. We have taken her to Porlyusica and it seems like something sucked out all of her magic. Did you catch the dark mage that did this?" Lucy explained our friend's condition.

"What dark mage?" I wondered. But she probably meant Lisanna.

"The white haired girl. She did this to Levy, I will never forgive her! So did you catch her or not?" Lucy was furious.

"She wasn't a dark mage. The white haired girl is Lisanna. She's like a walking Anima and didn't mean to hurt anyone" Lucy's hazel eyes grew in size. Of course she had never met Lisanna, only heard a few stories about her. She couldn't know who it was. The blonde was still mute and tried to follow my line of thinking.

"Lisanna? How…" she managed to mumble.

"I don't know. All I know is that I have to find her…" I tried to think of what to do or why I visited Lucy first. I should be over at the Strauss'. But how could I possibly explain to Mirajane or Elfman that their lost sister returned.

"We have to tell Mirajane…" Lucy suggested.

"And then what?" I had no proof that she was back. Maybe they'd think that I was simply trying to make a stupid joke only someone as dense as me would find funny. I know how I can be sometimes. Moreover, how was I supposed to explain her destructive state? Lisanna came back as an Anima of some sort and if anyone were to touch her, they'd be drained dry. Even I, a dragon slayer, normally resistant to the effects, was affected by it. So it must be more than just a technical Anima. "Lucy, for now I want to keep a low profile. I don't want to get everybody's hopes up. Perhaps she really is an evil mage that played with our weaknesses to lure us out. We have to be careful, anything is possible!"

"Then what are you suggesting?" Lucy demanded to know.

"Just our team going out to look for her. You go find Gray and I'll contact Erza. Once we've found Lisanna, we'll bring her back and then we'll get our happy reunion!"

* * *

**Coming up on Under My Skin: Where did Lisanna run off to and how can she live the way she is?**


	6. Chapter 5

**A day before this year ends, I'll bring you the fifth chapter :D**

Chapter 5

* * *

I just needed to know that they could breathe and with me being gone, I had given them the chance. I still felt a lingering sensation on my lips after Natsu's kiss and it robbed me of my air. I would have loved to stay but I had to get away. I could have killed him. Although I was broken hearted to leave him lying in the woods, I simply had to. There was nothing to regret. And yet I felt so guilty, so tainted with negativity. I was deeply sorry that our reunion was short lived and ended with such a loveless goodbye. But I told myself that the world was big and he would find someone else to love. Lucy seemed to be very nice here in Earthland.

With my mind set, I got out of bed and descended to the lower floor stepping into the dining room. A nice breakfast was already set up. The mouthwatering scent of fresh pancakes filled the atmosphere. The kind lady, who had offered shelter to me, stood in the kitchen and prepared two cups of tea.

"Good morning" she called past the door upon seeing me walking up.

"Thank you so much for letting me stay the night. I don't know how to make up for it" I cordially thanked her for the hospitality and bowed.

"Don't worry, honey. Helping a lost young woman is common sense. Giving love to another being is common sense" she said with pure kindness in her heart. "I see my daughter's clothes fit you perfectly. Now, sit down and eat!"

"I will make it up to you, I promise" I just had to express myself. She came out of the kitchen and placed the cups on saucers on the dining table. Then, she placed a warm hand onto my shoulders and smiled comfortingly.

"Knowing that I had helped you through rough times is satisfying enough" she was very loving and I had to wrap my arms around her. Tears slipped out of my eyes. It was so hard, living was so hard when you couldn't be with the ones you care about the most.

We sat down and I smiled for the first time that I got back. I couldn't remember how it felt like to feel at ease. The old lady was not a mage and therefore, I couldn't drain her of her magic. A sip of her homemade herbal tea was vitalizing.

"Whatever you're running away from seems to be eating you from the inside. I can sense that you think that you are the problem. But let me tell you this: we're living in a world full of magic. You don't have to be afraid. You will find a way to surmount the challenges. Trust your heart" she was a very wise woman. I thought of Natsu, he'd be determined to save me. But whatever was happening to me was out of this world. I came from another dimension. There might be magic. Nonetheless, there were no miracles.

When we finished dining, I thanked her once more for everything and left the house. Before I left, I even told her that she was right. There was a way to surmount the challenges. I simply had to fight my heart and stay away from everyone I loved. Knowing Natsu, he would never stop looking for me and I had to make sure he wouldn't find me.

Boarding a train to Hargeon, I had to leave Fiore. And my love, he wouldn't look for me on a train or a boat for that matter. It was his only weakness. Even if he was on the same train, he'd be too sick to notice me.

At the port, I checked in with the sailors and quickly found a kind team who'd take me with them. However, they were not going to leave until late afternoon. They still had some business in town. So I took the chance to head to the library and did some research on parallel dimensions.

An interesting concept was the wormhole. There are known mages who use that kind of magic. They create a temporary opening to another dimension and an object can pass through to come out somewhere else. Teleportation magic made use of that logic. Mages who teleport disintegrate for a second and rebuild themselves at another location. An Anima works similarly. It opens a vortex and sucks in magical particles to transport them somewhere else. In my case, I had absolutely no idea where to.

I jotted down important information and played with the pen. Impatiently trying to solve a riddle, the words on my notepad started to materialize. The letters that form wormhole floated in front of me and suddenly opened a portal to another dimension. All the books on the desk were pulled in and disappeared.

A frightening idea struck me like a bolt of lightning and I knew where the magic went. That's how it feels to be different from me. Whatever spell I had subconsciously performed was the craft of solid script, Levi's craft.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Leave a review if you did (or did not) and let me know what you think. I have also worked on a one shot with Lisanna as the main character. It is called "It Stings" and according to the title, I have dared to couple her with another dragon slayer! Check it out if you want! :D**

**Coming up on Under My Skin: It's time for another NatsuxLisanna scene**


End file.
